The Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) on Monday sealed five more properties, a day after it demolished a banquet hall in the Jakhira area in the city amid heavy police presence. The banquet hall, Raza Palace, is owned by Dr Nafees (65) who along with his son Farhan (32) was arrested last Wednesday in connection with September 26 clashes in Bareilly in the wake of the controversy over “I Love Mohammad” posters. Dr Nafees is an associate of cleric Tauqeer Raza who was arrested in the case earlier. BDA officials said the sealing was conducted under the Uttar Pradesh Town Planning and Development Act, 1973, and carried out in the presence of junior engineers, assistant engineers and the authority’s enforcement team. The authority identified the sealed establishments as belonging to SP councillor Abdul Qayyum Khan Munna, Wajid Beg, Nazir Khan, Zakir Pradhan and Mohammad Irfan, and said the constructions had been raised without mandatory map approval from the BDA. “This sealing is part of an ongoing routine. It has nothing to do with the September 26 clashes,” BDA secretary Vandita Shrivastav told The Indian Express. However, Abdul Qayyum, whose commercial showroom for electric scooters was sealed, said he received no prior notice. “I had no idea. There was no notice to me through officials or through the local media. I was sitting in my shop when some senior police officials came in and informed me about the sealing. I kept asking them for an answer. Later, I left with all the money,” he said, adding that he had run the showroom for four years and was not politically allied with Tauqeer Raza. Alongside Qayyum’s showroom, officials sealed a marriage hall owned by Wajid Beg, a garage owned by Nazir Khan, a tin-shed gym operated by Zakir Pradhan and a workshop run by Mohammad Irfan. The BDA warned in a public advisory that map approval from the authority is mandatory before any construction or plotting and that unauthorised construction could be demolished. “It is mandatory to obtain map approval from the Bareilly Development Authority before undertaking any construction or plotting activity. Construction without approval is completely illegal and may be demolished by the Authority,” the advisory read. The sealing came a day after the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) served electricity-theft recovery notices totalling more than Rs 1 crore on five individuals, Wasim Khan, Monish Khan, Barkan Raza Khan, Oman Raza Khan and Ghulam Navi, for allegedly drawing power by tapping lines and bypassing meters. UPPCL said the act falls under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, which treats direct power theft as a non-bailable offence punishable with up to five years’ jail, a fine of Rs 1 lakh or double the financial loss. Chief Engineer (Distribution), Bareilly Zone One, Gyan Prakash, said the notices and enforcement were routine. “We are taking action against anyone who is found guilty of electricity theft. They will face strict action without exception,” he told The Indian Express. Officials said an FIR has been filed and assessments of the dues completed: Rs 15 lakh for Wasim Khan, Rs 22 lakh for Monish Khan, Rs 37 lakh for Barkan Raza Khan, and Rs 26 lakh each for Oman Raza Khan and Ghulam Navi. Relatives of those targeted denied wrongdoing and any links to Tauqeer Raza Khan. Nadim Khan, father of Oman Raza Khan, said his son lives in Delhi and had not received any prior notice from the electricity department. “Administration has been accusing us of being associated with Tauqeer Raza Khan, but it is not true. He is very distantly related to us. They would have demolished our house as well but we have all the documents,” he said.
